St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka was awarded a one-year contract through arbitration on Monday, but the team announced that he will play the 2014-15 season in the Kontinental Hockey League. Financial terms of the arbitration award were not disclosed by the Blues, but a St. Louis newspaper reported it to be worth $2.725 million -- a deal that will be enforced upon his return to the NHL.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the team is "looking forward to having Vladimir in a Blues uniform when he returns to the NHL." Sobotka, a 27-year-old Czech native, spent the past four seasons in St. Louis and last year notched a career-high 33 points while leading the NHL in faceoff winning percentage.